Stephen Onion (d. 1754) was an important ironmaster in the Chesapeake colonies during the early 18th century. The document
is a three-page biographical sketch of Stephen Onion, copied from more extensive genealogical notes. The sketch includes several
quotations from Onion's letters, which are not otherwise identified.

Stephen Onion, an important ironmaster in the Chesapeake colonies, came to Maryland from Staffordshire, England, in 1721 as
an employee of the Principio Company in Cecil County. He was in charge of the works in 1722 and 1723, but was demoted for
extravagance and mismanagement and replaced by John England. Despite this setback, he remained with the Principio Company
for some time, and in the 1730s was acting as ironmaster at Charles Carroll's Baltimore Iron Works. By 1749 he had returned
to the northern part of Maryland and established furnaces and forges along Deer Creek. He also established a furnace on the
Little Gunpowder River. He died in Baltimore County on August 26, 1754.

The document is a three-page biographical sketch of Stephen Onion, copied from more extensive genealogical notes. The sketch
includes several quotations from Onion's letters, which are not otherwise identified.